Nine Lives

Kevin Spacey stars in Barry Sonnenfeld's cinematic hairball, a supposed family film in which Spacey plays Tom Brand, a Donald Trump-style New York real estate billionaire whose consciousness is somehow implanted during a freak accident into a cat named Mr. Fuzzypants, which Brand purchased for his young daughter at a magical pet shop run by an oddball named Perkins (Christopher Walken). Brand, a hard-driving wheeler-dealer who is so intent on ensuring that the Manhattan tower he is building will be the nation's tallest that he neglects both his daughter (Malina Weissman) and his wife (Jennifer Garner), must use his feline form to defeat the efforts of his slimy assistant to take the family-owned business public while Brand's human body lies comatose in the hospital. Along the way, Brand comes to appreciate the loyalty of David (Robbie Amell), a son from a former marriage whom he treated with disdain. Nine Lives primarily consists of cat slapstick (a combination of real footage and obvious CGI work) as Brand tries to acclimate while learning to make sacrifices for his family—something that Perkins explains is necessary if Brand is to return to human form. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Russian for Herding Cats” (14 min.) and “Letting the Cat Out of the Bag” (12 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing film.] (F. Swietek)